The Average Woman Owns HOW Many Makeup Products? !

Today’s world tries to remain conscious of our individual carbon footprint, but how often do we take stock of our beauty waste? As beauty lovers, that is a scary thing to think about. According to a new study commissioned by Stowaway and Poshly, women in America use more product than we ever would have guessed.

Surveying over 4000 female makeup-wearers across the United States, the poll found that on average, these consumers own just shy of 40 cosmetic products per person. Out of that number, only five of the items are used each day. While that initially sounds more than a little wasteful, after some thought, we don’t find the sheer quantity totally unreasonable. Hear us out.

For most, swapping out different lipstick and gloss shades is a must. Now consider day vs. night techniques, venue-appropriate makeup, dealing with varying levels of sun exposure, breakouts, and other environmental factors. All of this, along with promotion and price, plays into our desire to expand our beauty arsenal.

Of course, given what we currently know about expiration dates, we take pause when considering the amount of product that must be wasted. And maybe that’s Stowaway’s point: Getting hip to size-conscious cosmetics might help us eliminate some unnecessary environmental impact that goes hand-in-hand with our love for variety.

While not all of our favorite brands are on board yet with the whole "travel-size is actually the right size" thought process, we do love Stowaway’s Scarlet Creme Lipstick ($15) and Amazing Cosmetics’ Amazing Concealer to Go ($28).

How many makeup items do you own? Is 40 higher or lower than you expected as the national average? Sound off below!